Hegemony (1)
Patrick stood awkwardly, unable to sit even after the gesture inviting him to do so. The anxiety was written clearly across his face.
“Did… did I do something wrong?”
“Please, take a seat. First of all, you noticed a problem with the game’s plausibility after seeing the tomatoes and pizza, correct?”
“Yes. In a perfect magic-fantasy era, tomatoes and pizza suddenly appearing created a strong sense of dissonance. To maintain the game’s internal consistency, they need to be removed.”
“….”
Patrick noticed James Lee—the man he suspected was James Lee—exchanging glances with Elon Busker and the people in military uniforms. Their eyes moved in perfect, silent coordination.
“Hmm. I’m afraid that won’t be possible. And it seems the time has come for you to know the truth as well, Patrick.”
“Pardon? The time for me to know? What do you mean by that?”
“You’ve been under the impression that the game you’re playing is a single-player package title. But I believe it’s time you learned that isn’t the case.”
“What? Then are there other players in the game? Does that mean the tomatoes and pizza were created and introduced by other users?”
“Correct. The tomatoes and pizza were created by a player. And quite by chance, they’ve become a trend.”
“Then… doesn’t that mean the game’s direction has diverged from the original cliché world you designed at the beginning?”
“No. The game’s core direction remains unchanged. We’ve simply reached the point where we must reveal something we deliberately kept hidden.”
“So at the start, players believe they’re experiencing a solo package game, only to later receive the shock of discovering other users exist. Just as I have. Was that intentional?”
“Yes. That was exactly what we intended.”
Patrick felt a refreshing yet infuriating shock. In a way, this was toying with the users. But he could somewhat understand why the developers had taken such a risk. When players began to grow tired of solo play, dropping the bombshell—“It wasn’t actually a package game. Now, enjoy the full world!”—would feel like an entirely new title. It was a clever method to extend the game’s lifespan by making players feel too invested to quit.
“Then how many other users are there besides me?”
“I cannot disclose the exact number of players. Besides, aren’t you currently serving as a public official in the Splain Empire within the game?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Just as the tomatoes and pizza alerted you to the plausibility issue, we would like you to provide similar in-game hints to the other users.”
“You want me to give other players hints that more users exist? How exactly? Should I make some kind of official announcement as a public official of the empire?”
“An announcement won’t be necessary. I assume you’ve already heard about the orcs rampaging through the Akran Mountains.”
“Yes. Reports have been coming in from the territories near the mountains. Ah! Did you deliberately cause that orc uprising as well?”
“Correct. I can tell you that the Orc Lord is a player. That particular user keeps shouting ‘For the Horde!’ quite enthusiastically.”
“Ah, so it’s WOW. In that case, should I step forward and shout ‘For the Alliance!’?”
“Exactly. You catch on quickly. If the terms Horde and Alliance suddenly appear like this, how do you think other players who hear the story will react?”
“They’ll probably assume it’s just another cliché of the game’s setting, or perhaps realize that other users besides themselves exist.”
In Patrick’s opinion, most would dismiss the Horde and Alliance as mere clichés. However, those with sharper instincts—like himself—might notice that other players were involved.
“In a sense, it’s about giving players enjoyment through a historic episode in the game’s timeline. Something like a mandatory quest and a survival quest combined.”
“Precisely. I’ll leave it to you how to begin and conclude the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance. Can I trust you with this?”
At James Lee’s words, Patrick felt as though his moment to soar had finally arrived.
“Of course! I will create the most magnificent story possible!”
Patrick was overjoyed that he had been entrusted with a central role in shaping the game’s progression. Because of this excitement, even after leaving the conference room, he didn’t stop to wonder why military personnel had been present.
“We’ve gone as far as orchestrating an intentional war, but did it really have to be done this way? A great many people will die.”
James Lee asked Elon Busker and the military officers.
“Many will indeed perish, but that will ultimately benefit us. It will also help God Busker.”
Major General Michael’s cold statement left James Lee confused.
“Didn’t you say the god named Busker is the deity of peace and harmony? Then shouldn’t he be opposed to war?”
“Quite the opposite, James. If the world were happy and peaceful, would people pray in gratitude to the God of Peace? No. They would pray to whatever god promised to make them even happier—perhaps one that helped them earn more money.”
“That may be true, but…”
James could see the logic in what the general was saying. When the world grew harsh and life became difficult, humans turned to the gods. They begged to be saved and allowed to live in peace. Ironically, it was during times of war—when peace was furthest away—that people sought the God of Peace the most.
“The same is true on Earth. Thanks to scientific advancement, religious belief has declined in prosperous Western nations. Conversely, the poorer a country is, and the more discrimination it suffers, the more fervently its people cling to and depend on gods.”
James Lee immediately thought of the Middle East and Africa. It sounded like sophistry, yet Major General Michael was right. The more chaotic the world became, the more people sought the divine.
“God Busker is currently doing everything possible to create a passage connecting that side to this one. The more worshippers his faith gains through war, the sooner the connecting Gate we’ve been waiting for will appear.”
Elon Busker nodded in agreement with the general’s words.
“We must embed as many high-ranking users as possible in preparation for the day the two worlds are linked by the Gate. We need to create as many users as we can who will advocate for the interests of Earth—of the United States.”
Faced with the assertion that this must be done for America’s benefit, James Lee found himself unable to argue.
‘Military officers showed up at the game development department? And a major general at that?’
Jin Haliu, a developer at Changing, was curious about why those soldiers were moving together with Elon Busker. He wondered whether this could benefit his home country.
Jin Haliu had attended school in Beijing until high school, earned a master’s degree in computer science from Harvard, and joined Changing. Yet he had never intended to spend his life in America. He was a staunch believer in Zhonghua thought and came from a “revolutionary family.”
He believed that living as a privileged “revolutionary family member” in his homeland—receiving proper respect—was far superior to life in America, where he would never receive special treatment. However, that “revolutionary family” label had belonged to his grandfather’s generation. It was now his turn to restore its glory.
In short, he wanted to return to China with achievements that would shine brightly for the Party and the nation.
To his eyes, today’s visit by a two-star general and several colonels did not look like an ordinary event. When he learned through conversations among the developers that it was related to the game’s beta testers, he promptly filed a report to China stating that the U.S. Department of Defense was involved in a virtual reality game project.
Wang Shuchun of the Chinese PLA Strategic Support Force read the report that had traveled through several hands. He initially judged it to be nothing more than the development of a virtual reality training program. His plan was to obtain the general structure of the program and have China copy and implement it directly.
He casually ordered the long-term spy embedded in the Pentagon to investigate what Major General Michael and the Changing company were working on. But when the fixed spy’s reply arrived, Wang Shuchun was stunned.
What he had assumed was a simple training program was being treated as top-secret within the Department of Defense, with a security clearance level equivalent to nuclear launch codes. He realized this matter required reevaluation.
The fact that ordinary staff couldn’t even access the information suggested there was something significant here. He was intensely curious about what this project truly was, but uncovering it might require sacrificing the carefully planted long-term spy. He hesitated.
Moreover, burning that asset could mean having to dispose of the entire intelligence network they had built inside the United States. The decision was not an easy one.
“In that case, how about using the bear?”
“The bear? Ah, our Russian comrades. Hmm. That could work.”
Just as China had embedded a fixed spy in the Pentagon, Russia surely had done the same. Having endured the long Cold War, the United States and Russia likely had far more long-term spies than China.
“Good. Leak the information to Russia’s SVR. Give them just enough, and the Russians will start making noise. MI6 will catch wind of their movements. The information will naturally flow to us as well.”
“Your Excellency Marquis Marcel. The orcs of the Akran Mountains are behaving ominously. We should not take the report of an Orc Lord’s birth lightly. The central government must intervene.”
Marquis Marcel found Patrick’s behavior strange. The young official had come to him personally over what should have been a minor matter. Only a few weeks earlier, when the first reports arrived, everyone had dismissed it as a border disturbance and left it to the frontier counts.
“Didn’t we agree to leave that to the counts near the Akran Mountains?”
“We did. However, new information has come in, and I believe the central authorities must take action.”
“New information?”
“Yes. We have learned the Orc Lord’s objective. It appears he intends to create a kingdom of monsters.”
Patrick handed over a letter.
…The Orc Lord’s goal is to establish a ‘Horde Alliance.’ He seeks to unite kobolds, goblins, undead, and other races to create a nation exclusively for monsters. The alliance’s numbers have already surpassed fifty thousand, with thousands of shamans and warriors among them…
“The number of orcs exceeds fifty thousand? And who sent this letter?”
“I secretly located a half-orc and trained him as an informant. I sent him into the Akran Mountains to gather this intelligence.”
“A half-orc, you say? I would like to speak with this man directly.”
“Unfortunately, after delivering the letter, his wounds worsened and he passed away.”
“Hmm…”
When Marquis Marcel still seemed hesitant after reading the letter, Patrick spoke more directly, unable to contain his frustration.
“If the orcs have formed a Horde Alliance and gathered over fifty thousand troops, then we too must declare an Alliance centered on humans, in accordance with the ancient pact from the Monster Wars.”
“If we rally similar races like elves, dwarves, and gnomes, our own casualties would certainly decrease. However, my term as Minister of Military Affairs has less than six months remaining.”
“That is precisely why we must accelerate the formation of the Alliance. If allied forces begin arriving one after another following our call, it will provide justification to keep you in your position rather than replace you at the end of your term.”
“Hmm. I see. If the letters are sent in my name, it will appear that I requested this, meaning I must remain in office.”
Similar races tended to identify more strongly with their species and leaders than with nations. It mattered greatly who was calling them. Elves and dwarves, being rather stubborn, might simply turn around and leave if they arrived only to find someone else in charge.
“Before sending letters in His Majesty the Emperor’s name, please send them first under your own name, as a member of the imperial family.”
Marquis Marcel was no fool. He immediately understood what lay behind Patrick’s words.
“Hahaha. Appointing you may turn out to be the best decision I’ve made in recent years.”
Marquis Marcel had once believed that after retirement, his remaining life would consist of living comfortably as a member of the imperial family without any real power. But it seemed one more opportunity had presented itself.
“Send letters declaring that we shall fight once more under the name of the Alliance, just as we united long ago during the Monster Wars to battle the orc-led Horde.”
“Understood. I will handle the official records so that His Majesty is informed this is a conflict within the empire’s Akran Mountains, not a continental war, and that it is therefore being conducted under Your Excellency’s name.”
“Good. Hahaha. I hope the day comes soon when the armies of elves and dwarves arrive in the empire and raise me up as the leader of the Alliance. Hahaha.”